Dangerous animals: Chimpanzees

Zoofan15

Zoofan15

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Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
Yep, I suppose that like the giraffe the giant anteater isn't really the first animal species that comes to mind when people think of dangerous creatures.

However, it can be very dangerous indeed and there are cases where they kill people here in Brazil and there is a level of human-wildlife conflict with this species in areas where you have urbanization of natural areas.
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Out of my friends who know little about zoos, the three dangerous animals they’re most surprised to learn are dangerous are chimpanzees, cassowary and tapir.

So much emphasis has been given to gorillas being portrayed as gentle giants over the past few decades (to offset the negative opinion generated by King Kong); as well as orangutans, chimps are often tarred with the same brush.
 
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Zoofan15 said:
Out of my friends who know little about zoos, the three dangerous animals they’re most surprised to learn are dangerous are chimpanzees, cassowary and tapir.

So much emphasis has been given to gorillas being portrayed as gentle giants over the past few decades (to offset the negative opinion generated by King Kong); as well as orangutans, chimps are often tarred with the same brush.

Tapir only appear to present a danger when it’s a mother protecting their young; but they can still deliver a nasty bite. I met a pair of them up close once and kept a safe distance, with my rucksack shielding my junk. I didn’t entirely trust them. :eek:
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I’ve always found chimps a tad unnerving, they really are fascinating animals but they are by far more dangerous than any tiger or bear in my opinion.
 
Jude T said:
I’ve always found chimps a tad unnerving, they really are fascinating animals but they are by far more dangerous than any tiger or bear in my opinion.
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Definitely! They’re probably my favourite species, but all the two New Zealand zoos that hold them rate them as the most dangerous animals in the zoo (over bears, lions, tigers, wild dogs etc) due to their intelligence and aggression. There’s recently been an incident at Taronga Zoo, where one of the young males escaped (for the first time in the 40 years they’ve been in this exhibit). They’ve been off display since, until they figure out how he did it; as he’ll likely repeat it and could lead others to follow.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Definitely! They’re probably my favourite species, but all the two New Zealand zoos that hold them rate them as the most dangerous animals in the zoo (over bears, lions, tigers, wild dogs etc) due to their intelligence and aggression. There’s recently been an incident at Taronga Zoo, where one of the young males escaped (for the first time in the 40 years they’ve been in this exhibit). They’ve been off display since, until they figure out how he did it; as he’ll likely repeat it and could lead others to follow.
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They seem to have a habit of escaping, they’re probably one of the animals I’ve done most research about (by research I just mean reading things on the internet) as I went through a great ape phase at the back-end of last year. Obviously with that research came some of the attacks such as Travis back in 2009. They are such a charismatic and interesting species, but I’m not ashamed of saying they terrify me.
 
Jude T said:
I’ve always found chimps a tad unnerving, they really are fascinating animals but they are by far more dangerous than any tiger or bear in my opinion.
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Same, I find chimpanzees quite unnerving. And to make things worst chimpanzees can use tools as well as set ambushes. With a bear or big cat worst case scenario I could curl up in a ball and play dead and hope it looses interest but I doubt that trick could fool a chimpanzee.
 
Jude T said:
I believe in both of the big two USA chimp attacks (Charla Nash and St James) eating of body parts was involved, within zoos I’m not so sure, but chimps have definitely eaten human flesh before.
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Yes , they definitely prey on humans , there was a case in the wild in Uganda I believe of a male chimp which would specifically attack mothers working in the fields and carrying their infant children in slings on their backs.

I was referring more to chimps eating human flesh in zoos.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
I believe it has happened and within zoos with members of the public, though I'm not sure about the eating part.
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Jude T said:
I believe in both of the big two USA chimp attacks (Charla Nash and St James) eating of body parts was involved, within zoos I’m not so sure, but chimps have definitely eaten human flesh before.
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Doing a Google search, there’s several incidences in the wild where they’ve come into conflict with villagers in Uganda etc. There’s been cases of them snatching (and killing) small children and infants.

Within their own species, it’s very common. Several males in the Australasian region are missing finger tips etc. from bite wounds. At Taronga Zoo, a female named Mary was seen eating the deceased infant of another female; and she later attacked the newborn twins of another female, causing their deaths. Her juvenile son later caused the deaths of four infants; while her adult son attacked and killed another female’s infant.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
Yes , they definitely prey on humans , there was a case in the wild in Uganda I believe of a male chimp which would specifically attack mothers working in the fields and carrying their infant children in slings on their backs.

I was referring more to chimps eating human flesh in zoos.
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Target the weak and the vulnerable, brutal but clever.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Doing a Google search, there’s several incidences in the wild where they’ve come into conflict with villagers in Uganda etc. There’s been cases of them snatching (and killing) small children and infants.

Within their own species, it’s very common. Several males in the Australasian region are missing finger tips etc. from bite wounds. At Taronga Zoo, a female named Mary was seen eating the deceased infant of another female; and she later attacked the newborn twins of another female, causing their deaths. Her juvenile son later caused the deaths of four infants; while her adult son attacked and killed another female’s infant.
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Yes, definitely , they are IMO the most terrifying animal because of that intelligence and premeditation in their actions.

It doesn't suprise me that these kind of incidents have been reported in zoos and of course we know it has little to do with captivity because Goodall reports similar behaviour occurring in the wild.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Doing a Google search, there’s several incidences in the wild where they’ve come into conflict with villagers in Uganda etc. There’s been cases of them snatching (and killing) small children and infants.

Within their own species, it’s very common. Several males in the Australasian region are missing finger tips etc. from bite wounds. At Taronga Zoo, a female named Mary was seen eating the deceased infant of another female; and she later attacked the newborn twins of another female, causing their deaths. Her juvenile son later caused the deaths of four infants; while her adult son attacked and killed another female’s infant.
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Sounds like a very violent bloodline, I know this doesn’t really compare but I know of a chimp who lost an ear due to a fight with his mother here in the UK.
 
Jude T said:
Sounds like a very violent bloodline, I know this doesn’t really compare but I know of a chimp who lost an ear due to a fight with his mother here in the UK.
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Mary’s line (or the M family) were indeed a very formidable family. She had three sons - Mike, Mervin and Monte; and a daughter, Melissa. Interestingly, the zoo chose to phase out this family by exporting her three remaining offspring after her death.

Mike had already been sent to Auckland Zoo and killed the newborn offspring of an immigrant female named Lucy. Mike and Lucy went on to have two sons, one of which partly ripped Mike’s arm off during a fight at Hamilton Zoo, leading to his death. This son also killed an adult female who was introduced to Hamilton’s troop in 2015.
 
Jude T said:
Understandable, I have to admit that I do find chimps absolutely fascinating and I’d personally regard them as a favourite of mine, they do scare the absolute **** out of me though.
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Yes , for sure it is scientifically interesting, but I find chimps a bit haunting and disturbing with what their behaviour tells us about the darker aspects of human nature.
 
Jude T said:
If that’s the case, what are your thoughts on bonobos?
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Well I don't buy the sort of utopian / hippy / "better angels of our nature" myth that has been popularized by many people who have never studied the bonobo in the wild and clearly have a new age / polyamory agenda / ideology.

Of course bonobos are not quite as violent as chimps but there are numerous reports of infanticide, violence and pedophilia (something that the hippies seem to consistently overlook) occurring within bonobo social interaction.
 
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